Agave Blues

Mix together a little family drama ghosts and Tequila and you get a hell of a cocktail!Sometimes la sangre atrae the blood calls you back and when Maya gets the call to go back to her agave roots to claim the body of her long-missing father her world changes forever.Set against the backdrop of her childhood in Mexico this is the story of ailing attorney Maya in a broken relationship and butting heads with her teenage daughter Lily. Maya swears never to return but once she sets foot on the mystical grounds she unearths her family's turbulent history and discovers how Tequila has infused deep secrets that have altered her life both emotionally and physically.She soon realizes what's missing in her life?magic mystery art unconditional love and the stories of her past including the myth her father shared with her about her grandfather Pancho Villa. The fields seem to heal her and her relationships so she extends her stay in order to reconnect with her family. But when she encounters the handsome yet haunted Antonio a childhood crush resurfaces only to cause her more grief as she tries to master the art of Tequila.In the footsteps and spirit of Latin American magic realism masters Ruthie Marlenée's AGAVE BLUES transports readers on a journey of self-discovery. It's an exceptionally well-written tale of love loss family and following dreams. What a phenomenal book!--Rob Samborn author of The Prisoner of ParadiseRuthie Marlenée's AGAVE BLUES is distilled in secrets ghosts and magic a beautiful testament to the power of family place and tequila.--Mary Camarillo author of The Lockhart WomenA tale of tequila and misplaced fathers AGAVE BLUES offers potent sips of magic and soars with memories of a half-forgotten childhood in Mexico. A charming read.--Stephanie Barbé Hammer author of The Puppet Turners of Narrow Interior and Pretend PlumberFighting tooth and nail at work in her love life and in US culture Maya is having a rough time. Despite her success as an attorney she feels like an outsider ashamed of her Mexican heritage. Called back to Mexico due to her father's death Maya rekindles her joy and revels in the deep well of mystery and magic in her culture past and history. She grapples with what has haunted and hindered her and heals parts of herself she didn't know needed healing. By the end of this rich evocative novel you will come full-circle with Maya as she finds 'home' in all ways possible. A wonderful read.--Jessica Barksdale Inclán author of 15 novels including The Play's the Thing The Burning Hour Her Daughter's Eyes The Matter of Grace and When You BelieveMarlenée's rhythmic writing creates ancestral notes between the past and the present ultimately rewriting the future.--Vanessa Chica Ferriera Editor of What They Leave Behind: A Latinx AnthologyFiction.